Pope Francis Visits Majority-Muslim Azerbaijan

Pope Francis will meet with Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders during his Sept. 30-Oct. 2 trip to the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan, adding a strong inter-religious dimension to an already politically delicate trip. The Vatican on Monday released the itinerary for the Caucasus trip,

Hawzah News Agency-The Vatican released the itinerary for the Caucasus trip, which was originally planned as an extension of Francis’ recent visit to Armenia but was split up.

In majority-Muslim Azerbaijan, Francis will celebrate Mass with the tiny Catholic community and meet with the region’s chief imam, the Orthodox bishop of Baku and head of the country’s Jewish community.

In his meetings with the president and Azerbaijani officials, Francis is also expected to raise the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

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